Obama's Re-election Firms Up Defense
Plans (Source: Defense News)
President Barack Obama's re-election means defense policies and vision
he outlined earlier will now be more firmly set in place, including a
plan to run a leaner military. The second term means Obama's plan to
redirect resources to the Asia-Pacific region also will begin to
unfold, analysts say. (11/6)

Virginia Students Win at International
Space Olympics (Source: Daily Press)
Students from Governor's School for Science and Technology in Hampton,
Va., have won space-project competitions at the International Space
Olympics, held in Russia. Virginia schools sent the only American
students to the competition, in which 200 students from around the
world presented projects and had to take math and physics tests. (11/6)

Asteroid Mining Might be Better Than
Mining the Oceans for Platinum (Source: Red Orbit)
Planetary Resources announced earlier this year it plans to begin
looking beyond Earth for precious metals, and mining asteroids for
platinum. Many skeptics have come out to say it is a ridiculous feat,
and some have even gone as far as to say why leave Earth, when we have
an ocean full of the metal. Chris Lewicki, Planetary Resources
President and Chief Asteroid Miner, explains exactly why it is more
feasible to mine asteroids, than ocean water. Click here.
(11/6)

Sea Launch Base Port Could Relocate
From California to Vietnam (Source: Interfax)
Interfax reports that participants in the Sea Launch project could move
its base port from Long Beach in the United States to Cam Ranh in
Vietnam. Russia's navy, in its effort to encircle the globe and match
U.S. naval reach, has also been pursuing plans to establish a permanent
presence at Cam Ranh. (11/7)

Boeing Shakes Up Defense Business,
Cuts Management Jobs (Source: Reuters)
Boeing will restructure its defense, space and security business and
cut 30 percent of management jobs from 2010 levels as part of a broad
cost-cutting drive. Boeing, the Pentagon's second-largest supplier,
said it also will close some facilities in California and consolidate
several business units in an effort to trim $1.6 billion in costs by
the end of 2015, on top of $2.2 billion in reductions achieved since
2010.

Boeing and other top weapons makers such as Lockheed Martin Corp,
Northrop Grumman Corp and Raytheon Co have focused heavily on cutting
costs and drumming up foreign sales to maintain profits as they prepare
for a sustained period of weaker defense budgets. Lockheed reduced its
management ranks by about 25 percent in recent years after announcing a
voluntary buyout. Boeing said it would also expand efforts to cut
supply-chain costs by working closely with its suppliers, but did not
provide details. (11/7)

NASA KSC Seeks Contractor to Modify
Ares-1 Mobile Launch Platform for SLS (Source: SpaceRef)
NASA/KSC is soliciting information about potential sources for the
labor, equipment, and materials to deconstruct and modify the existing
Ares-I Mobile Launcher (ML) for the new Space Launch System (SLS) at
Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The work consists of removal and storage
of existing system components, equipment, and materials for
reuse/reinstallation; demolition of system components and structure not
to be reused; modification of structural elements and installation of
new structural elements; reinstallation of salvaged equipment and
materials, and installation of new systems, equipment, and materials.
(11/7)

House Science Committee Set for Big
Turnover (Source: Science)
A key science policymaking body in the U.S. House of Representatives is
about to get a makeover. Ten current members of the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology have been defeated in this year's
elections or are retiring. That's one-quarter of the total membership.
The panel is also expected to get a new chair, as current chief
Representative Ralph M. Hall (R-TX), is term-limited under current
House rules.

Representative Lamar Smith (R-TX) is considered a favorite to win the
gavel, but former committee chair Representative F. James Sensenbrenner
Jr. (R-WI) has reportedly expressed interest in regaining his old job.
The panel's senior Democrat, Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson
(D-TX), handily won reelection last night. Floridian Rep. Sandy Adams
(R-FL) was not re-elected, leaving only Frederica Wilson (D-FL) on the
committee. Before the election, there were four vacancies on the
committee.

The science committee is generally considered a second-tier assignment
because it has relatively little power. Although its name suggests a
grander role, it has little authority over the largest federal funder
of research—the National Institutes of Health. It does oversee policy
for NASA, the Department of Energy's Office of Science, and other
science agencies. But as a so-called authorizing committee, it has a
limited influence over spending by these agencies. (11/7)

Donated Spy Telescopes Up for Grabs to
All of NASA (Source: Space News)
NASA will invite scientists and engineers across the agency later this
month to propose potential uses for a pair of 2.4-meter spy telescopes
donated to NASA this summer by NRO. Paul Hertz, director of
astrophysics for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said the
astrophysics division has been evaluating whether to use one of the
telescopes for a long-planned dark energy mission, but it is possible
that both telescopes may wind up serving other parts of NASA, Hertz
said.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will ultimately decide who gets the
hardware, but he will base his decision on a report written by a team
led by Marc Allen, the Science Mission Directorate’s assistant
associate administrator for strategy, policy, and international
matters. In “mid-November,” Allen’s team will solicit mission concepts
from across the agency, Hertz said. (11/7)

U.S. Air Force Exploring New Protected
Satcom Concepts (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. Air Force is laying the groundwork for a next-generation
protected military satellite communications architecture with $84.3
million worth of contracts issued to 17 companies to explore a variety
of options. The studies kicked off last month and will continue for two
years. Today’s space-based protected milsatcom architecture consists of
legacy Milstar satellites and two new Advanced Extremely High Frequency
spacecraft made by Lockheed Martin. There are also payloads in polar
orbit to reach areas in the extreme latitudes.

However, some in the space community question whether the Pentagon
should consider a “disaggregated” architecture that allows for
distributing the various functions of a protected communications
satellite among different platforms. This could reduce the risk of a
major service outage in the event a satellite becomes compromised,
either for technical or more nefarious reasons. (11/7)

With No Methane, Life on Mars Unlikely
(Source: The Scientist)
NASA’s rover Curiosity has so far failed to find evidence for the
presence of methane in concentrations high enough to suggest that
methane-exhaling microbes are living in the soils of Mars. The space
agency announced at a press conference last week (November 2) that they
could say with 95 percent confidence that methane in the Martian
atmosphere does not exceed 5 parts per billion (ppb), far less than the
10 ppb that would signal that the Red Planet supports microbial life.
(11/7)

Super-Earth Joins Ranks in
Life-Supporting Zone (Source: Science News)
Astronomers on the prowl for potentially habitable planets have found a
new candidate: a world seven times as massive as Earth in a nearby
solar system. The planet orbits a star about 42 light-years away in the
constellation Pictor. The star, HD 40307, was thought to harbor only
three planets, but sensitive data-filtering methods revealed the
presence of three more. The farthest-out of these lies in a “sweet
spot,” at a distance from its star where liquid water — and thus life —
could exist. (11/7)

Acaba: Huntsville's Space Station Job
Tougher Than Houston's (Source: Huntsville Times)
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba told reporters at Huntsville's NASA center
Wednesday that the job station controllers there do is tougher in one
sense than the job station controllers do in Houston. Acaba, making a
visit to the center where space station science experiments are
controlled, wasn't making a dig at Houston. Rather, he seemed to be
thinking out loud about just how hard Marshall's job can be.

Acaba was talking about how complicated life can get on the station --
not that he doesn't love it and want to go back. Two of many things
going on at the same time are taking care of the systems that keep the
station functioning and performing the science experiments that are the
station's reason for existing. Houston manages the systems, and
Huntsville manages the science. (11/7)

Space Shuttle Exhibit Opens Saturday
in Seattle (Source: NWCN)
The space shuttle trainer exhibit opens to the public Saturday at the
Museum of Flight in Seattle. The 100-foot trainer was used by space
shuttle astronaut crews. It's displayed in the $12 million Charles
Simonyi Space Gallery that opened earlier this year. Visitors will be
able to step inside the fuselage to feel what it was like to be in a
shuttle. (11/7)

NASA May Soon Unveil New Manned Moon
Missions (Source: NBC)
NASA is serious about sending astronauts back to the moon's
neighborhood and will likely unveil its ambitious plans soon now that
President Barack Obama has been re-elected, experts say. The space
agency has apparently been thinking about setting up a manned outpost
beyond the moon's far side, both to establish a human presence in deep
space and to build momentum toward a planned visit to an asteroid in
2025.

The new plans have probably already been cleared with the Obama
Administration but have been kept under wraps in case Republican
candidate Mitt Romney won Tuesday night's (Nov. 6) presidential
election, said space policy expert John Logsdon, a professor emeritus
at George Washington University. (11/7)

Election Results Bring Potential
Shifts in Space Policy Implementation (Source: SPACErePORT)
The nation re-elected President Barack Obama, with Florida (though not
the Space Coast) appearing to deliver 29 electoral votes and ensuring a
solid win for the 44th president. It's typical for second-term
presidents to replace much of their staff, so we could see important
changes in NASA's leadership at Headquarters and among the Center
Directors, and also at OSTP and OMB.

Florida Senator (and Science & Space Subcommittee Chair) Bill
Nelson, Rep. Bill Posey, and Rep. John Mica were all re-elected and
could have considerable influence over space policies and funding in
the next Congress with their growing seniority, especially if they are
named to key committees. Rep. Sandy Adams lost in her primary and she
and Rep. Frederica Wilson were the only Floridians on the House Science
Committee. And based on GOP rules in the House, Rep. Mica will no
longer chair the Transportation Committee, but he could become an
appropriator.

In other states, astronaut Jose Hernandez lost his race to represent a
district in California, and former space-subcommittee Rep. Nick Lampson
failed in his Texas race to represent a JSC-area district. In virginia,
incumbent Rep. Scott Rigell won re-election to represent the Wallops
Island area. Rep. Mo Brooks was re-elected in Alabama to represent
Huntsville and Decatur. Science Committee Chairman Rep. Ralph Hall won
re-election in Texas (though he won't retain his committee
chairmanship). (11/7)

Four More Years (Source:
SpaceKSC)
Most space advocates would like to see the next Administration give a
Kennedy-esque Moon speech, double the NASA budget and build Starfleet.
That will not happen. It wouldn't have happened if Mitt Romney defeated
Barack Obama yesterday. Romney's campaign issued a position paper in
September which stated, "A strong and successful NASA does not require
more funding, it needs clearer priorities. Romney will ensure that NASA
has practical and sustainable missions."

During the Florida Republican primary, Newt Gingrich proposed the
eventual goal of a private sector initiative to build a lunar colony.
Romney replied, "If I had a business executive come to me and say they
wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the
moon, I'd say, 'You're fired.'" When he campaigned in Cape Canaveral
during the primary, Romney declined the opportunity to articulate a
specific policy. He'd just appoint a committee to study it.

Space was not a priority for Romney. Obama's critics have said the same
of him, but the record is quite the opposite. The President came twice
to Kennedy Space Center during this first term. The first was on April
15, 2010, when he articulated his space policy in an event at the
Operations & Checkout Building. Obama also toured the SpaceX
facilities at Launch Complex 40. He returned in April 2011, hoping to
attend the STS-134 launch. It was scrubbed, so his family met with the
crew and toured an Orbiter Processing Facility. Click here.
(11/7)

Before the Next Four Years, Focus on
the Next Eight Weeks (Source: Space Politics)
Something close to the status quo will reign in space policy in the
near future. The balance of power remains unchanged: the Obama
Administration will be in office for the next four years, while the
Senate remains in Democratic hands and the House in Republican hands
for the next two. About a fourth of the House Science Committee’s
current membership won’t be back next year, and the committee will need
a new chairman with Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX) term-limited under
Republican rules.

And there will also be speculation about changes at NASA, including how
long current administrator Charles Bolden will remain on the job.
However, just because there hasn’t been any major changes on either end
of Pennslyvania Avenue doesn’t mean NASA will stay on its current path.
The ability of NASA to achieve its exploration goals will strongly
depend on what happens over the next eight weeks regarding negotiations
about the 2013 budget and efforts to avoid sequestration.

Without a deal, eight weeks from today-—January 2, 2013-—the automatic
spending cuts known as sequestration will go into effect, cutting
NASA’s budget by over eight percent. Even if a deal is reached, the
space agency may face spending cuts, although likely in a more targeted
fashion than those implemented by sequestration. Those cuts could
certainly impede NASA’s ability to continue on its current path. In
other words, don’t look too far ahead just yet. (11/7)

Obama Win Keeps NASA on Course --
Toward an Asteroid (Source: Space.com)
President Obama's re-election means NASA will likely continue along its
current path, working to get astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 among
other goals. A change of course was possible had Mitt Romney won the
presidency, as the Republican candidate pledged to reassess NASA's path
forward. But we'll never know what a Romney-revised path may have
looked like, for President Obama won the day. For a brief look at some
of NASA's larger aims and ambitions, which it should continue to work
toward over at least the next four years, click here.
(11/7)

Obama Wins Re-election, Space Policy
to Remain the Same (Source: Parabolic Arc)
President Barack Obama handily won re-election against Republican
challenger Mitt Romney on Tuesday, ensuring that American space policy
will remain largely unchanged over the next four years. Although there
will be no major policy shifts, NASA will likely face budgetary
pressures as the nation grapples with the need to reduce the deficit.

The first challenge comes with sequestration, which would trigger a
series of deep spending cuts in the federal budget this January unless
Obama and Congress can work out a deal. Meanwhile, the song remains
largely the same in Congress in terms of members on key NASA
committees. And developments in California appear to bode well for
strengthening a state informed consent law backed by commercial space
proponents. (11/7)

Mojave Spaceport Extends Broadband for
Tenants (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Tenants at the Mojave Air and Space Port will have access to broadband
fiber services beginning in December. In a related move, officials are
moving forward with a plan to extend broadband, power and water
utilities to the test area on the north side of the spaceport, where
there are currently no services. (11/7)

Need Structural Testing? Think NASA (Source:
Parabolic Arc)
NASA has released a Request for Information (RFI) to explore the
potential interest and use of its unique facilities, labs and technical
expertise for structural testing at the agency’s Johnson Space Center
in Houston. The facilities and capabilities could support commercial,
government and academic activities, and possibly lead to new technology
developments.

The RFI is seeking responses from prospective partners interested in
using Johnson’s extensive testing facilities to provide
high-performance solutions for a variety of structural testing in
diverse industries, including aerospace. These solutions can help
businesses meet their challenges by helping engineers develop deeper
insight in their materials and building processes. (11/7)

NASA's Space Launch System Using
Futuristic Technology (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. is using a
method called selective laser melting, or SLM, to create intricate
metal parts for America's next heavy-lift rocket. Using this
state-of-the-art technique will benefit the agency by saving millions
in manufacturing costs. NASA is building the Space Launch System or SLS
- a rocket managed at the Marshall Center and designed to take humans,
equipment and experiments beyond low Earth orbit to nearby asteroids
and eventually to Mars.

SLM is similar to 3-D printing and is the future of manufacturing.
"Basically, this machine takes metal powder and uses a high-energy
laser to melt it in a designed pattern," says Ken Cooper, advanced
manufacturing team lead at the Marshall Center. "The laser will layer
the melted dust to fuse whatever part we need from the ground up,
creating intricate designs. The process produces parts with complex
geometries and precise mechanical properties from a three-dimensional
computer-aided design." (11/7)

Curiosity Team Switches Back to Earth
Time (Source: Space Daily)
After three months working on "Mars time," the team operating NASA Mars
rover Curiosity has switched to more regular hours, as planned. A
Martian day, called a sol, is about 40 minutes longer than an Earth
day, so the team's start time for daily planning has been moving a few
hours later each week. This often resulted in the team working
overnight hours, Pacific Time. Starting this week, most of the team's
work will stay within bounds of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., PST. Compressing the
daily planning process for rover activities makes the switch possible.
(11/7)

ATK Sees Solid-Rocket Performance
Boost For SLS (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA is gearing up for risk-reduction in developing its heavy-lift
Space Launch System (SLS), setting up a hardware-in-the-loop laboratory
at Marshall Space Flight Center to exercise avionics for the big new
human-rated rocket with the thrust-vector control-actuators they will
be controlling in flight. The center's Propulsion Research Laboratory
is running real-time simulations as hardware and software become
available and can be quickly converted to accommodate new test articles.

In addition to the recycled Space Shuttle Main Engines that will be
used on early SLS flights, the laboratory setups will be able to handle
the strap-on boosters that are just starting to take shape with some
advanced engineering study contracts from NASA. A lot of that effort is
going to liquid-fuel technology, including composite tankage and a look
at updating the F-1 engine that powered the Saturn V first stage.

But ATK—which is building solid-rocket boosters (SRB) for early SLS
flight tests based on its space shuttle SRB—is also at work on upgraded
versions designed to take the SLS to the 130-metric-ton capability
Congress has ordered, while lowering the cost of producing them from
shuttle-era levels. ATK went through an extensive bottom-up review of
the production processes in Utah. The value-stream mapping process
continues, but it has already produced significant cost-savings in the
qualification boosters it is building to prepare for the early SLS
flight tests. (11/5)

Russia, Vietnam to Cooperate in Space
Exploration (Source: Voice of Russia)
Russia and Vietnam have reached agreement on cooperation in the
exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes. A relevant
intergovernmental agreement was signed in the wake of a meeting of the
two countries’ Prime Ministers, Dmitry Medvedev and Nguyen Tan Dung.
The two leaders also took up prospects for boosting Russian-Vietnamese
energy cooperation and made a decision to set up a high-level bilateral
working group on priority investment projects. (11/7)

Asteroid Defense, Or How to Stop a
Species Killer (Source: Huffington Post)
The B612 Foundation is working with NASA and the United Nations on an
Asteroid Deflection Program designed to prevent Near Earth Objects
(NEOs) from colliding with earth. This may sound like the stuff of
science fiction, or even white elephant technology, but given that the
asteroid Apophis will pass in between the Earth and the Moon in 2029
and we're glad someone is working on this stuff.

Oh, and did we mention that Apophis, which is at least 885 feet in
diameter, would release 27 megatons of energy if it did hit our planet?
That's a pretty big wallop compared to the atomic bomb dropped on
Hiroshima which was a measly .02 megatons. Apophis is not currently on
a collision course with Earth. It will get a second chance, however,
when it returns in 2036. In the meantime, there are plenty of NEOs
still out there waiting to be mapped. Click here.
(11/7)

Russian Investigation Ongoing in
GLONASS Funding Theft (Source: Itar-Tass)
Russia’s Interior Ministry continues investigation of the case on
plunder of 565 million roubles, which had been allocated for
development of the GLONASS space navigation system. Press service of
the Moscow police reported on Wednesday, that the investigation
revealed a company, to which accounts the figurants transferred the
money. “The police revealed the fact of stealing the total of two
billion roubles, where about 600 million were transferred to accounts
of ‘one-day’ companies,” the source said. (11/7)

Launches from Vostochny to Start 2015
(Source: Itar-Tass)
The first rocket launches from the Vostochny pad will begin in 2015,
Vladimir Popovkin, said during the inspection of the spaceport’s
construction. "I am satisfied with progress of the construction. Most
importantly, we have developed this construction. Its peak should be at
the end of next year. Now the main thing is not to slow down the pace
of work", he said.

"The launch and technical systems must be submitted in 2014.
Installation of the main buildings, structures, networks and
communications will be completed in 2013," Deputy Chief of
Dalspetsstroy Paul Buyanovsky said. The construction at the Vostochny
spaceport continues round the clock, the construction site employs
2,500 people, where ever third is a local resident. This year’s
investments is planned to make about 20 billion roubles. (11/7)